Pique'n'yer interest

Thank you Whistler, we won’t forget

But it’s important to tell
you, Whistler, how thankful we are for your support over the past week.

The phone calls, the emails,
the hugs have all gone such a very long way and we appreciate it. More than you
can imagine.

Last Wednesday we faced the
worst day of our careers — we had to produce a paper with the raw knowledge
that our leader, our publisher, our friend, had been killed in a cycling
accident half way across the world.

Sadness, worry and dread
filled our hearts as we made our way to into the office. But we had a paper to
get to the presses by deadline.

First thing that morning
Pique friend Chris Quinlan, of Behind the Grind, was at the office with fresh
coffee and chai tea and treats to get us started. He knew this was a day to
have lemon loaf and banana bread for breakfast. Despite his own sorrow he had
much-needed hugs to offer us, and his tall shoulder to cry on as we tried to
wrap our heads around the task at hand.

About an hour later our
neighbour Gayle Stewart, who knows most of us by name because of our frequent
stops at Delish Cafe, was on our doorstep with more urns of fresh coffee and a
tray of treats.

By one o’clock without even
realizing that lunchtime was almost over, we had a delivery from our friends at
Origin Design + Communication — a tray of sandwiches, goodies and drinks for
lunch. We took a break and ate.

I don’t know if we thanked
any of you on Wednesday but you must know from the bottom of all of our hearts
how much you helped us that day.

It wasn’t just that you kept
us going with coffee and calories. It was that you knew we couldn’t face going
out that day, meeting people, forced to talk about it. It felt better to stay
cocooned with our Pique family.

And it wasn’t just that you
treated us with food, it was that you were thinking of us. And that made a big
difference.

We will never forget it.

We got through Wednesday in a
daze. But work was waiting again the next day.

And that’s when the flowers
began to arrive. Beautiful bouquets to remind us how much Kathy was loved and
admired in the community. It made us feel a little better to see them and
brought a smile to our wary faces.

And so again we thank the
Whistler Real Estate Company, Bob and Sue Adams and the staff at the Grocery
Store and Delish, the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, Cathy Goddard, and Sea to
Sky News.

You made a very sad office
brighter with your thoughtful gestures.

And by Friday Chris Quinlan
was back again with more sandwiches for staff.

What is there to say about
such an outpouring of help and caring from the community? And what can we say
about the reams of cards, emails and phone calls that have been flooding into
the office over the past week?

Former employers, current
freelancers, community members at large, personal friends — every one had a
story to tell or simply a willing hand to help in any way they could.

Believe me — every single
phone call and email has helped.

There is comfort just by
knowing that the community is thinking of us, and more importantly, Bob.

The tributes to Kathy made me
proud to be a member of the Pique family, proud that I had worked for her, that
I had known her, that I could call her a friend.

Every single gesture of the
past week is a testament to the character of our Kathy. She was loved, admired,
and respected.

The outpouring also made me
proud to call myself a member of our little resort town, a place that rallies
together in times of need, a community that bands together and helps out even
when they aren’t called upon to do so.

And while things will slowly
return to normal, albeit with a huge void in a hearts, I speak for all of us at
the Pique when I say that we will never forget how you showed us how much Kathy
was a part of your life and our community.